Charges Reduced In Alleged Hazing Incident

Friday

Jul 16, 1999 at 12:01 AM

Christopher Babis stood in the courtroom Thursday and faced four young men who were almost his fraternity brothers.

JUDGE JOHN JUDGE speaks to Jeff Gostlin (hidden at left), Bryan Kinney (second from left), Brian Claypool (fourth from left) and Andrew Yanchunas (fifth from left) during a hearing Thursday in Wayne County Municipal Court at which the four men pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct for their roles in the alleged hazing of two former College of Wooster students. Mike Schenk photo

Babis, speaking at a plea hearing in Wayne County Municipal Court, told them they got away with hazing him during a pledging period at The College of Wooster and took away his dream of playing baseball.

"You've never had the feeling that (College of Wooster baseball) coach (Tim) Pettorini and President (Stanton) Hales, people that are supposed to be by your side, care more about winning than the safety of the student body.

"It's ridiculous that you're walking away with the sentence you're getting. Before you hazed us, you said you could do anything you want and that you will get away with it, and that's exactly what you've done," Babis said.

The four men, who on April 20 were each charged with two counts of hazing, were found guilty of disorderly conduct after pleading no contest to the new charge Thursday.

Brian Claypool, Jeff Gostlin, Bryan Kinney and Andrew Yanchunas had no comment before visiting Judge John Judge ordered each to pay a $100 fine and perform 40 hours of community service.

Reached Thursday afternoon, Wooster director of college relations Jeff Hanna said the school would have no comment on Babis's statement or the case in general.

Disorderly conduct is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, the same level as hazing. The maximum penalty is 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.

Municipal court prosecutor Christine Williams said her office was satisfied with the outcome of the case.

"When the prosecutor's office decided to pursue this case, we were concerned with getting a conviction on a misdememeanor of the fourth degree, which we did. We are not concerned with the title of the charge," Williams said.

She added that the court did away with "putting Matt (Walter, another former Wooster student who said he was hazed) and Chris through what could have been a very difficult trial."

Williams said in getting pleas to disorderly conduct rather than hazing, her office "could not be concerned with civil litigation in the future," which the Babis and Walter families are expected to pursue.

Babis filed a report with police in January, saying that as a pledge of Kappa Chi fraternity at The College of Wooster he was ordered to walk through a glass wall.

Babis, 19, received about 16 stitches in his ear and each hand. The former Wooster first-year student told police that during the time he pledged, he was kicked and punched in the head, urinated and spit on, and deprived of sleep.

Babis also said he had been stuffed in a rubber trash can and while inside it, members beat on the can with baseball bats.

Walter came forward at a later date, and did not appear in court Thursday. His mother came in his place and said her son's absence was in protest of the plea agreement.

"This has been going on for years, and this was just the first time kids were strong enough to stand up," Pat Walter said.

"This would not have been closure for my son, not to come here and look at the smirks on their faces," Walter said.

Speaking in court, Babis said "You will never understand what you put me through, what you put my family through and Matt Walter's family through.

"You'll never know what it is like to sit at home, and for the first time in nine years, not be able to play baseball because your hands are so badly sliced up," Babis said.

The college handbook outlines a strict policy prohibiting hazing with a "zero tolerance" for the activity.

The four students were disciplined in February by the college Judicial Board and Kappa Chi's charter was revoked.

Former baseball team starters Claypool, Gostlin, and Kinney were suspended from all team activities. Yanchunas was suspended from school indefinately, with the possibility of returning after a year.